10 Best Snipping Tools for Mac to Take Screenshots
There are a lot of reasons for people to take a screenshot of their screen. Mac users can easily capture their entire screen. However, if you have ever wanted to capture a small portion of your screen, then you know how much of a hassle it can become to crop the screenshot and take out the portion you wanted. People have tried to find workarounds for this but nothing seems to be quite as easy as selecting the actual part of the screen you want to capture. Thankfully, there are tools that you can use to do that quite easily. We are sharing a list of great snipping tools for MacBook and iMac users, and you can go through them to decide which of them is the best snipping tool for Mac.
- Quick Navigation
- Part 1. What is a Snipping Tool?
- Part 2. 10 Best Snipping Software for macOS
- Part 3. How to Recover Deleted Screenshots on Mac
- Part 4. Frequently Asked Questions for Snipping Tools on Mac
Part 1. What is a Snipping Tool?
Before we get into the options for you to explore, we want to clarify what a snipping tool is. In essence, it is a tool that allows you to “snip” off a portion of your screen and use it as a screenshot instead of capturing the entire screen. It comes with the ease of use and speed that you have always wanted as you can take the screenshot easily by using a dedicated Mac snipping tool shortcut. Now that we are clear about that, let us dive right into the options.
Part 2. 10 Best Snipping Software for macOS
- Snagit
- Pros
- Easy to use and intuitive interface
- Supports tool integration
- Scrolling screenshots supported
- Built-in editor
- macOS 10.10 and later
- Cons
- Does not have any free version whatsoever
- CloudApp
- Pros
- A highly versatile tool with decent options
- Can be used for creating gifs and trimming videos
- Users can define their own Mac snipping tool shortcut
- Offers a free-to-use plan
- macOS 10.14 and later
- Cons
- Can sometimes crash randomly and lose data
- Lightshot
- Pros
- Completely free to use
- Highly intuitive and easy to use
- Can configure custom hotkeys
- Screenshot sharing using links
- Mac OS X and later
- Cons
- Does not have many capturing modes as some other tools do
- Skitch
- Pros
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Cloud storage support for global access
- Multiple capture modes with support for various file formats
- Screenshot annotation and markup supported
- macOS 10.11 and later
- Cons
- Cloud sharing feature is not easy to use
- Greenshot
- Pros
- Direct printing option available
- Easy to use and understand
- Hotkey combinations save plenty of time
- Cloud storage is available
- macOS 10.12 and later
- Cons
- Editing options are not great and updates are rare
- SnapNDrag
- Pros
- One-click screenshot option makes it quite quick
- Can create custom actions using user-editable hotkeys
- Support for multiple file formats
- Folder organization also provided screenshots
- macOS 10.14 and later
- Cons
- Most of the editing and advanced features are only available in the paid version
- Monosnap
- Pros
- Easy to use and understand
- Comes with a one-click screenshot-taking option
- Provides its own cloud storage for users.
- Can make GIFs and videos with this too
- macOS 10.14 and later
- Cons
- No free option for commercial users with a free version only available to individual users
- Droplr
- Pros
- Highly intuitive and easy to use
- Automatic cloud storage
- Annotation feature for screenshots
- Full-page screenshots are easy to take
- macOS 10.12 and later
- Cons
- Lack of good integration options
- Apowersoft Mac Screenshot
- Pros
- Screen magnification feature
- Support for multiple file formats
- Screenshot annotation
- FAutomatic window detection feature
- macOS 10.8 and later
- Cons
- Does not have good file management utilities
- Snip
- Pros
- Multiple screen capture options to choose from
- Lightweight design and not heavy on the system at all
- Supports retina display
- Scrolling screenshots are also supported
- macOS 10.6.8 and later
- Cons
- The user interface is not the easiest to understand.
When it comes to snipping tools, there are not many options that are as versatile and capable as Snagit. This best snipping tool for Mac not only lets you take screenshots of a portion of the screen but also allows you to take scrolling screenshots which can be quite useful for capturing long webpages or chats. The applications of this tool are practically boundless and all you need is a simple Mac snipping tool shortcut to activate it on your screen.
Another great thing about this tool is that it also comes with a built-in editor which lets you add arrows, shapes, callouts, and even blur parts of the screenshot. It is handy for professional and corporate users. Other advanced features include creating gifs from screen recordings, capturing text from images, screencast captures, and built-in templates for creating tutorials.
This is another great snipping tool for Mac that comes with a great selection of features for its users. The tool comes with a full menu bar utility that you can use to do many things with the screenshot you have taken. Not only does it allow you to take selective screenshots, but it also has support for combining multiple screenshots into a single image. The tool also allows users to configure their own shortcuts to take screenshots and perform other actions.
This snipping tool for Mac also comes with the ability to make gifs from screen recordings. Furthermore, it also has a video trimming option for further creative ability. The users can also annotate web content and images using CloudApp easily. For users who only want to use it on the web, there are installation-free options available as well.
As far as ease of use is concerned, this snipping tool for Mac is among the most user-friendly options on this list. While it is certainly easy to take screenshots with this app, it also allows users to add several different customizations to their screenshots. You can also add colors, text, and shapes to the screenshots you capture. One of the best things about this tool is that you can upload the photos you have created to the server and then create a shareable link to send to anyone.
There are some smart features in this tool, the most popular one being the similar image search. This can help create longer screenshots using multiple images and other applications. The software also allows hotkey configuration to easily access different features of the tool.
For those who love tool integration and screenshot marking, this snipping tool for MacBook is one of the best options. It is a very effective tool built in a very simple, easy-to-use design with great snipping performance. It also allows users to add markups to their screenshots and annotations. The tool offers multiple capture modes, making it as versatile as any other option on the list.
As far as integration is cornered, the app supports integration with the popular notetaking app Evernote. You can also save your screenshots in multiple formats to use in a variety of applications. The app also offers cloud storage support which means you can access your screenshots anywhere you want. Editing features are also decent in this tool, including the addition of shapes, text, colors, and even blurring.
This snipping tool for MacBook is quite feature-rich and offers several useful features for its users, including copying to clipboard, a direct printing option, support for multiple cloud image storage platforms, and more. You can simplify and enhance your user experience with this tool quite a bit by using the hotkey combination options. The lightweight design makes it easy to install and use.
The tool also has a great trick up its sleeve which is its open-source nature. This means developers can create their own integrations and modify the tool to meet their specific needs. Of course, being open source also means it is completely free of cost, which is particularly impressive given its capabilities. While the editing portion of this tool is not as advanced, it does provide some useful features like screen blurring,
If you want to use a tool that does not require complex key combinations to be useful, then this MacOS snipping tool is a great option for you. You can easily choose between capturing fullscreen, app window, or selected areas of the screen to capture. The tool also supports hotkeys for those who want to use them and perform complex commands. There are plenty of sharing options available which makes it great for team use. Screenshot saving and sorting is also a great feature where you can create multiple folders to save each screenshot. The files can also be saved in multiple formats so that you can use them in multiple ways.
As the name indicates, this MacOS snipping tool is specifically designed to be fast and, as expected, comes with a one-click screenshot feature. However, speed is not the only thing this tool has, as it also offers several useful features, including an image editor where you can customize your screenshots as you like. This MacOS snipping tool allows users to blur screenshot areas and annotate them as they like.
The tool also offers advanced features like creating gifts from captured videos and allows saving videos directly. The app also has cloud storage, so you can access the screenshots you have taken anywhere you want in the world. It is easy to see why this tool is one of the most popular choices among Mac users.
This is another great snipping tool on MacBook that provides its users with a comprehensive array of features. It is intuitive to use and provides several features that make the entire snipping and sharing process quite convenient. The tool comes with cloud storage and automatically saves all your screenshots to the cloud where you can generate shareable links. Screenshot annotation features are also present in this tool, and it works pretty well.
The tool also has several screen capture options, making it highly versatile with many applications. The cloud storage is also secure, so you do not need to worry about potential security breaches and losing sensitive data. The tool also makes it easy to take full-page screenshots without any extra effort.
This is one of the best options when it comes to using a snipping tool on MacBook. This software comes with many advanced features while making zero compromises on the usability of the tool itself. Not only can you take screenshots easily but also edit them right away and share them with whoever you want. It also has the option to share screenshots or upload them anywhere with a single click. A great addition to this tool is the screen magnifier which has a wide range of applications.
The app also supports several file formats, so you can choose whichever suits you best. Selecting a complete window is also easier thanks to its smart window detection feature. You can also annotate your screenshots, which is better for that purpose than most other apps. The app also allows saving screenshots to the cloud with support for local storage as default.
This is a snipping tool for Mac free option that you need to try if you want a free tool with lots of great features. In fact, it can easily be called one of, if not the best snipping tool for Mac free options out there, and the things that make it so include zoom in/zoom out using drag, lightweight design, and an easy-to-use interface. You can also add tags to the screenshots you take for easy management.
The best part about it is that it can be added to the taskbar and used on practically any screen. The company also offers compatibility with a number of different apps to make it more versatile.
Part 3. How to Recover Deleted Screenshots on Mac
Snipping on a Mac is very easy and it’s the common way for people to save important screenshots. However, there are sometimes you might delete the screenshots accidentally. In this case, you need to use Mac data recovery software to recover them. iBeesoft Mac Data Recovery is a great tool for scanning the Mac hard drives, and looking for the deleted or lost Mac screenshots for you. Here are the steps for how to recover deleted screenshots on Mac.
- Download and install the best free data recovery software for Mac on your computer. After then, launch it.
- For the first window, you can keep "pictures" selected and deselect other types of files and click "Start".
- Click the "Scan" button beside the hard drive where you have lost the screenshots, letting the software scan the hard drive for you.
- Wait for the scanning process to finish. After then, find the recoverable files in the directory to preview them.
- Select needed screenshots and click "Recover" to save them to a new location on your Mac.
Part 4. Frequently Asked Questions for Snipping Tools on Mac
- How do I snip on a Mac?
- Where is the snipping tool on a Mac?
- CMD +SHIFT +3: take a quick screenshot.
- CMD +SHIFT +4: capture a selected area of your Mac screen.
- CMD +SHIFT +5: access to snipping tool on Mac
The snip shortcut on a Mac is CMD + SHIFT + 4. Once you press them at the same time, then you can see a small bull’s eye. After then, use the mouse to drag the frame to select the area you need and press the Space bar. That’s it.
macOS does not have built-in screenshot software, but you can complete screenshots through shortcut keys.